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Changing Ignition Barrels

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2019 11:42 am
by UlsterRugby
Hi all

Hopefully someone can give me a pointer here. I have a 2009 QQ and the 2 key fobs will not lock the car. Ive researched this problem in great depth and it is 95% likely that the barrel needs replacing. So three quick questions if I may.
  • 1: If I buy a new barrel I assume that this should come with a new set of keys. Do these keys need to be programmed to suit the ECY etc?
  • 2: Is this a difficult job to undertake?
  • 3: Are there any issues that I need to know about while doing this job?
Many thanks in advance.

Re: Changing Ignition Barrels

Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2019 1:18 pm
by calnorth
Some info:
I've done a similar job on a BMW 525 (1997)...ignition. There are insurance industry requirements for this subject to prevent the barrel being smashed/compromised/removed and/or contactor/ignition override/jumped. The BMW key at that year had an electronic chip that communicated with the ECU via a magnetic coil around the key barrel holder. I've had to show my passport/council tax at BMW to get a new key and that was programmed to my car. Its somewhat more sophisticated now perhaps, but:

Issues:
You'll need to inspect the barrel fixings first because in the case of the BMW its likely the barrel housing is bolted in with snap off heads at manufacture. Tricky fixings anyway.
And where the barrel joins the ignition contactor the shaft is weakened. My problem was that that weakened shaft gave in on me with the car at 10 years old so disabling the car 1 mile from home. Security aim being to prevent barrel compromise by screwdrivers etc.

Getting the steering wheel off and out of the way may be an issue with the air bag initialisation. It wasn't on the BMW....scary stuff though. I know it can be an issue though particularly if the steering wheel assy is removed with the car battery connected.

The key fobs will have to be registered to the car and likely by Nissan

It certainly was not a fun job.

Re: Changing Ignition Barrels

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:45 am
by UlsterRugby
many thanks calnorth for your reply. I assumed it would be a tricky job to do. I think I will keep researching this before I attempt to do it.

Re: Changing Ignition Barrels

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 8:46 am
by calnorth
UlsterRugby wrote: Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:45 am many thanks calnorth for your reply. I assumed it would be a tricky job to do. I think I will keep researching this before I attempt to do it.
A thing you might look at which may or may not impact on your DIY aspiration. The BMW was of course old technology and did not require a special tool (electronic config) to register keys to the ECU by interacting with the ECU directly. So changing the lock in part or whole did not prevent the car from running normally after such surgery by me.

Nissan uses its CONSULT tool (diagnostics & setup/installation) for setting and initialising a number of sub systems on the car including Security, Brakes, Cameras etc. So apart from registering the new key fob there could be other parts of procedure that need electronically configuring to enable the car to operate normally after surgery?

Security is aimed at prevention of car theft which as I discovered also aims at the likes of me digging into it. Electronically disabling a car on fault condition/attack is quite something else and would thwart my old and large toolbox. CONSULT is quite a few thousand pounds and eBay won't be the place to go.

Re: Changing Ignition Barrels

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 8:40 pm
by Qashowner
If it's only not locking the car only, you have checked the batteries in the key fobs?

Re: Changing Ignition Barrels

Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 8:44 pm
by Lusky
Why would 2 car keys not lock the car? Seems odd. Call me a cynic but..........

Re: Changing Ignition Barrels

Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2019 9:24 am
by gloucester
Lusky wrote: Tue Oct 22, 2019 8:44 pm Why would 2 car keys not lock the car? Seems odd. Call me a cynic but..........
I presume the scenario is a broken barrel - pins bent or misaligned.

Re: Changing Ignition Barrels

Posted: Thu Oct 24, 2019 1:45 pm
by Qashowner
I have read this again and I am confused. The OP has only stated that his keys will not lock the car, nothing about if they will start the car or unlock the car, totally confused.

Re: Changing Ignition Barrels

Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2019 9:50 am
by UlsterRugby
Sorry, I have been off the map for a while and I didnt see the last posts.

Qashowner - the keys (as in key fobs) will not lock the car. The actual key will lock the drivers door only. I have since discovered that the key lock barrel has one tumbler which activates the steering lock (which I have now found is not activated). The barrel fault, whatever it actually is, prevents the ECU from allowing the key fob to operate the central locking.

I visited a Nissan dealer back home and he spent quite some time with me explaining how it all works. So basically, the last tumbler does not engage and, therefore, the steering lock is not engaged and the ECU believes that the key is still in the barrel and, therefore, will not allow the key fob to lock the car.

The result is that the barrel lock cylinder needs to be changed. The cost, quoted by a local Nissan dealership here in France could exceed 800€.

I am trying to find an online trader who can supply a new barrel cylinder lock and keys but I am not having much luck.

I am hoping to do this job myself and I will search for videos on how to do this. If any of you good folk have any suggestions Ii am all ears.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Changing Ignition Barrels

Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:33 pm
by Gel
Several YouTube videos on changing out a QQ steering wheel lock :)